Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1887-01-24

zee streets unpaved, with weeds growing IN
most of them. sidewalks broken and uneven,
and instead of dogs, YOU will see occasionally
nigs roaming around with litters OF young,
picking up their food. The city is situated
about 27 miles from the mouth OF the 81.
Johns river. 1t has resident population OF
about 20. 900, which during the winter season
is increased some Is, 900 or 10000 oy northern
visitors. There are some nice residences
here. but the majority of the houses are low,
one-storied structures, occupied mostly py
negroes.
The chief business of the city according to
statistics, is the fitting of hard pine lumper
for market This is a considerable industry
Most of this lumber is shipped to northern
cities. There are no public buildings although
there ia a prospect of one in the near future,
IS Congress at its last session passed an act
for one not TO exceed in cost Sl50,OOO; but
purposely or otherwise, did not appropriate
any money. Jacksonville abounds IN hotels
and boarding houses too numerous to men
ton. There are between fifty and seventy
five hotels, among the largest being the
Everett. st. James. Windsor, Carleton, Gle
NADIA, Oxford and Hotel Togni. They are all
owned or were built by northern capitalists.
In fact, there is nothing that tends to progress
in anv direction, but what is due to the north.
Its railroads, steamship lines. hotels, what
few industries the country possesses, all are
alike indebted to the north, for the means o|
which they were started, and TO the northern
and western tourist for their continuance and
prosperity.
This country up to the present time, has
been grand place in which to make money
fast in land speculations, but it has seen its
hot
all agents connected with travel to this State
report a diminuton of so per cent from last
wear in the number of visitors, with indica-
ton. that there will be a still greater falling
off in the years to come.
This State offers great advan,
tages to the professional man, but
none to the man who depends on his daily
labor for the means of existence. There are
q great many physicians here. and they all
get rich in verv few years. The scenery
in this section of the country and for msny
miles in every direction is very tiresome and
not at all attractive The face of the coun-
try is covered with heavy fiat pine growth,
interspersed with occasional oak trees. The
soil is, in nearly every part OF the State,
white sand At first glance you would
wonder how anything could grow, but 70 or
100 miles further south they raise some hand
some crops of vegetables and fruits of all
kinds. Upon asking a native Floridian as to
the chief sources of income, We were told
that the two best crops of the State were
''sick Yankees" and the orange crop.
THE ORANGE CROP
There is an exaggerated idea in the north as
to the value of the orange crop or this
State but upon coming here and visiting
the groves and talking with both the producer
and the commission men, You will have an
entirely different opinion. In the first place
it takes seven years to get grove to state
of bearing. Then every orange has TO be
gathered either by hand or by means of a
picker (frst method preferred), placed day
or two on frames to remove all moisture,
then wrapped in papers, boxed and shipped.
Extreme care is necessary in the handling OF
the fruit, or the least bruise or even hard
pressure of the thumb and fingers in picking
will cause the fruit to decay in few days
A good illustration of this seen a few
days ago. A new beginner shipped to a COM
mission dealer here 60 boxes of fruit. He
c me up to the city himself. and was in the
store when his fruit arrived SO had the op-
pOrtunty to see it opened. In conversation
with the commission man he said that he had
superntended the picking him and knew
that it was exceptionally fine fruit and in a
good condition. Upon opening the boxes a
far different sight presented itself The
fruit, when it left the grove must have been
just as the owner stated, but it was far from
being good upon its arrival In fact, out OF
the 60 boxes they were unable to get more
than IA boxes of merchantable oranges. the
rest being decayed.
Another lea ling factor which enters into
ba ha
decidedly diminishes his profits, are the rail
roads, which charge excessive freight rates.
Then the commission men come in for their
share; and 50, between railroads, COM
missionmen, cost of picking and boxing loss
from decay, and last but not least the shrink
age of the fruit itself, the owner of an orange
grove very often comes out at the little end
of the horn" The man in the north who
owns 500 good apple trees is far better off
than the man here with a small orange grove
on his hands.
In order to raise all kinds of fruit and
vegetables you must go from 100 to POO m lie 6
farther south. And there you will not only
raise vegetables and fruits in abundance but
you will find all kinds of small animal pests
in abundance also. Mosquitoes there are
even larger than at Fort Popham, and there
are also feas. several kinds of reaches, from
the small ones you see in Maine to those
from two to three inches in length. Even in
this northern portion of the State people are
obliged to sleep under MEETINGS all but about
two mOnths-from the middle of December to
the middle of February-of the wear. Snakes
are rarely seen. We have seen no birds with
the exception of few moe king birds and
sparrows, but farther south you will see many
of very brilliant plumage.
FRUITS.
All kinds of fruit can be found for sale but
at prices in many cases higher than
for the same in Boston and New
Ork. Bananas are the only things in
the fruit line that are really cheap. One of
the finest fruits of which have tasted here
is the japanese persmm0n, but it is the most
expensive kind of fruit to be found Then
there are the native figs, Florida persimmons,
mandarins, citrons, grape fruit, lemons, etc
to be found in great abundance.
CosT OF LIVING.
The cost of living is about so per cent
higher than in New England. Rents are from
$40 to $40 per month A house that in M aine
would rent for 80 a month, would rent here
for $40 or SIP. There is not a cellar in the
city. The reason for this is that the sand is
so full of missna that in the case of a cellar
being dug it would be just repository for
this deadly poison. and make the house un-
tenantable. The inhabitants are not allowed
to disturb the sand the least bit from Nav to
October. Wood is about the same cost here
as in the north, ranging from So to 81 per
cord, all fitted for the stove. Boots and shoes
and all kinds of wearing apparel cost about
20 per cent more than in the northern cities.
Tanned he hon oh of L